Preserving the Innocence: A Critical Study with Special Reference to POCSO Act, 2012
In India, several rights are given to children such as right to health, education, food and others under Constitution of India and several schemes and also number of child-centric legislations are enacted. Various acts committed against children have been made punishable under criminal and civil law. Despite these efforts, children are not secured completely in India. In the direction of protecting children from sexual abuse, The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted. It criminalises various sexual acts committed against children below 18 years, irrespective of gender. But the law fails to achieve its objective absolutely. This paper makes an analysis of the silent features of the Act and its drawbacks and makes suggestions to overcome its loopholes.
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